Post stand and related method of installation

ABSTRACT

A post stand includes a base plate having generally aligned first and second side supports extending upwardly therefrom. A plurality of anchors extend downwardly from the base plate. The post stand is installed in a hardened concrete slab or masonry by creating marks corresponding to the desired location of the anchors, drilling holes into the hardened concrete slab or masonry, partially filling the holes with an epoxy or quick setting cement mixture, and inserting the anchors of the post stand into the holes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to post stands. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a post stand havingimproved characteristics, and enabling a construction worker to installthe post stand into existing concrete or masonry.

The use of post stands has been common for quite some time. Post standsare used when constructing gates, fences, patios and the like. Poststands typically comprise a bracket, such as in a U-shaped bracket at anupper portion thereof which is configured to receive the post therein. Alower portion comprises an anchor or fastener which is fastened into themasonry to hold the post stand in place, and secure the typically woodenpost to the cement or masonry.

However, existing post stands present several drawbacks. The firstdrawback is that many of these post stands are comprised of relativelyflimsy material, such as thin gauged steel or aluminum. If the post isquite large or tall, and the structure supported by the post relativelyheavy, the upper bracket portion of the post stand can bend whensubjected to excessive force, causing the post to become off alignmentand the structure also to become misaligned, such as when a fence leansto a side. Another problem with existing post stands is that thebrackets are typically relatively short, such as six inches or less inheight. This exacerbates the problem of the excessive force and thepropensity of the post stand to bend or the post to become broken orsnapped off at the base when excessive force is applied to the post.

Another disadvantage of existing post stands is that the fastener oranchor must be inserted into wet cement, which is then cured to securethe post stand in its proper position and orientation. When constructingthe patio, fence, etc. while also doing the masonry work, this does notpresent a large problem as the post stand anchors can be inserted intothe appropriate depth within the wet cement as the cement is pouredbefore actually building the fence, patio, or other structure. However,a significant problem arises when an existing slab or cement, masonry,etc., is already present and the patio, fence, or other such structureis to be built later. Typically, this requires cutting out segments ofthe cement or masonry, and pouring new cement in place such that thepost stand anchors could be set. Of course, it will be appreciated thatthis presents a significant amount of labor and additional cost. Also,in some instances, the construction worker who is skilled in making thefence, patio, etc., is not skilled in cutting masonry or pouringmasonry. Thus, the job requires additional labor from at least twoconstruction workers skilled in different fields.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a post stand which is veryrigid so as to withstand forces exerted upon the structure or post thatthe post stand is supporting. Moreover, there is a continuing need for apost stand which enables the fastening of the post stand to existingmasonry, concrete, etc. The present invention fulfills these needs, andprovides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resides in a unique post stand, as well as aunique method of installing the post stand. A particularly unique aspectof the present invention is that the post stand is able to be installedinto existing hardened concrete, masonry and the like.

The post stand generally comprises a base plate. A first side supportextends upwardly from an upper surface of the base plate. A second sidesupport extends upwardly from the upper surface of the base plate, beingspaced apart and generally aligned with the first side support.Typically, the first and second side supports are spaced inwardly from aperipheral edge of the base plate. The first and second side supportsinclude at least one generally aligned aperture for receiving a bolttherethrough so as to support a wooden post between the first and secondside supports.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the base plate, first sidesupport, and second side support are comprised of between one-eighth andone-quarter inch thick metal plate. Preferably, the first and secondside supports are between six and twelve inches in height.

A plurality, typically at least three or more, anchors in spacedrelation extend downwardly from a lower surface of the base plate. In aparticularly preferred embodiment, the plurality of anchors comprisefour anchors, each anchor being disposed adjacent to a corner of thebase plate. Typically, the anchors are between three and five inches inlength.

The anchors are generally cylindrical in configuration. The outersurface of each of the anchors includes ridges extending outwardlytherefrom. In one embodiment, the anchors comprise rebar. In another,the anchors have external threads and a free end of the anchors tapersto a point.

In order to install the post stand, holes are drilled in a hardenedconcrete slab or masonry corresponding to a desired installationlocation of the plurality of anchors. If the post stand anchors have afree end tapering to a point, a downward force can be applied to thetapered and pointed ends of the anchors to create marks on the hardenedconcrete slab or masonry corresponding to the desired installationlocation of the plurality of anchors. This can be done by hitting thepost stand with a hammer.

The holes are of a greater diameter than an outer diameter of theanchors. The holes are partially filed with an epoxy or quick settingcement mixture. The anchors of the post stand are then inserted into theholes. An aperture is drilled through a wooden post, and a bolt isinserted through the aligned apertures of the first and second sidesupports and the wooden post.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a post stand embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective diagrammatic view illustrating the post stand ifFIG. 1 positioned over an aperture formed in concrete;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating addition of wet concrete tothe aperture;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the post stand of FIG. 1placed within the wet concrete, in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 5-5,illustrating the post stand set within the concrete, after the concretehas cured, and supporting a wooden post, in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another post stand embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating marking of ahardened concrete slab or masonry;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the creation of holes in theconcrete slab aligned with anchors of the post stand;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 9-9 of FIG.8, illustrating the placement of epoxy or quick setting cement into theholes prior to the post stand insertion;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view, illustrating the post stand disposedwithin the drilled hole; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 11-11,illustrating the post stand cured within the slab of concrete, andsupporting a wooden post, in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration, thepresent invention resides in a unique post stand, and a method ofinstalling the same. As will be more fully described herein, the poststand is very rigid so as to withstand forces exerted upon the structureor post that the post stand is supporting. In one form of the invention,as will be more fully described herein, an installation method of thepost stand enables the fastening and installation of the post stand toexisting masonry, concrete, etc.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a post stand 10 embodying the presentinvention is illustrated. The post stand 10 includes a base plate 12.Typically, the base plate 12 will have a square configuration, althoughit is not limited to such. Preferably, the base plate 12 is comprised ofa durable material, such as a metal plate having a thickness betweenone-eighth and one-quarter inch thick. Although the size of the baseplate 12 can vary, in a particularly preferred embodiment, it isapproximately six inches square.

A first side support 14 extends upwardly from an upper surface of thebase plate 12. A second side support 16 extends upwardly from the uppersurface of the base plate 12 so as to be generally spaced apart, alignedand run parallel to the first side support 14. Although the base plate12 and first and second side supports 14 and 16 could be formed as aunitary structure, more typically the first and second side supports 14and 16 are attached to the base plate 12 such as by welds 18 or thelike. Similar to the base plate 12, the first and second side supports14 and 16 are preferably comprised of a sturdy metal, such as one-eighthto one-quarter inch thick steel. In a particularly preferred embodiment,the base plate 12 is six inches square and comprised of one-quarter inchhot roll steel flat ASTM-A-36 plate steel. The side supports 14 and 16are one-quarter inch in thickness, two inches in width, and twelveinches in length, and comprised of hot roll steel ASTM-A-36 steel plate.

The first side support 14 includes at least one aperture 20 formedtherethrough. The second side support 16 includes correspondingapertures 22 formed therethrough so as to be generally aligned with theaperture 20 of the first side support 14. In a particularly preferredembodiment, the apertures 20 and 22 are of a sufficient width so as toaccommodate a bolt 24 extending therethrough. The bolt 24 includes athreaded end 26 which receives a nut 28 thereon so as to secure the bolt24 in place, as shown in FIG. 6. As will be more fully described below,the bolts 24 extend through a wooden post structure so as to secure thepost structure to the post stand 10. Preferably, the first and secondside supports 14 and 16 are between six and twelve inches in height soas to securely and rigidly hold the wooden post in place. The thicknessor gauge of the metal used in the first and second side supports 14 and16 as well as their extended height make the post stand 10 very durable,and not likely to be susceptible to forces which would bend the poststand 10 and cause the structure, such as a fence or patio, to bemisaligned or bent off of the true intended alignment of the structure.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1, a plurality of anchors 30 extenddownwardly from a lower surface of the base platel 2. In a particularlypreferred embodiment, the anchors, 30 are of a generally cylindricalconfiguration. Typically, there are a total of four anchors 30, eachanchor being disposed adjacent to a corner of the base plate 12. Theanchors 30 are typically three-eights of an inch to one-half of an inchin width, and approximately three to five inches in length. So as tosecurely anchor the post stand 10 in the concrete, the anchors 30 do nothave a smooth outer surface, but instead have ridges 32, or otherprojections, so as to form a tight bond within the concrete, as will bedescribed more fully herein. The anchors 30 may comprise segments ofsteel rebar, which meets these requirements.

With reference now to FIGS. 2-5, a method for installing the post stand10 is illustrated. In FIG. 2, a slab of existing and hardened concrete50, masonry or the like is shown. In such a case, the concrete 50 may becut so as to create an aperture 52 having a diameter which is less thanthe diameter of the base plate 12, but larger than the distance betweenthe anchors 30. New cement 54 is then poured into the cut-out aperture52 so as to substantially fill the hole or aperture 52, as illustratedin FIG. 3. The anchors 30 are then set into the wet concrete 54 untilthe base plate 12 is approximately level with, or slightly raised withrespect to the existing hardened concrete slab or masonry 50. The wetconcrete 54 is then allowed to cure.

This particular post stand 10 is particularly well-suited for use inapplications wherein the entire concrete slab 50 comprises wet cement,alleviating the need to create the cut-out section 52. In that case, thepost stand 10 will be installed, as shown in FIG. 4, in the wet cementat the desired location.

With reference now to FIG. 5, once the concrete 50 has cured andhardened, securely and permanently setting the anchors 30 therein, awooden beam or the like 56, (shown in phantom) is inserted between thefirst and second side supports 14 and 16. A hole is drilled through thewooden beam 56 so as to be aligned with the apertures 20 and 22 of thefirst and second side supports 14 and 16. Bolt 24 is then insertedthrough these aligned apertures, and nut 28 secured thereto to hold thebolt 24, and thus the post 56, in place.

With reference now to FIG. 6, another post stand 100 embodying thepresent invention is illustrated. Similar to post stand 10 describedabove, this post stand includes a base plate 112, a first side support114 and a second side support 116. These are preferably comprised of adurable and strong material, such as one-eighth-one-quarter of an inchsteel plate or the like.

The first and second side supports 114 and 116 also include one or moreapertures 120 and 122, which are generally aligned with one another soas to receive a bolt 124 therethrough, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Asdescribed above, a nut 128 is threadably received at the end of the bolt124 to hold it in place.

The post stand 100 also includes a plurality of anchors 130 extendingdownwardly therefrom. Preferably, there are three or more anchors 130extending downwardly from the bottom surface of the base plate 112.Typically, there are four anchors 130, each extending from an areaadjacent to a corner of the base plate 112.

Once again, the anchors 130 do not have a smooth outer surface, butinstead have ridges 132 or other projections which would facilitate thebonding of the anchor 130 to the cement or other bonding material. In aparticularly preferred embodiment, the ridges 132 comprise externalthreads, each anchor being configured similar to a threaded screw. Infact, the anchors 130 can comprise threaded steel screws or bolts weldedor otherwise attached to the bottom surface of the base plate 112. Aparticularly unique aspect of the anchors 130 is that their free endsare tapered to a sharp point 134.

With reference now to FIGS. 7-10, a particularly unique method ofinstallation will be described. Typically, as described above, wheninstalling a post stand, a cut-out must be formed in the existinghardened concrete or masonry, which is subsequently filled with new wetconcrete or the like such that the post stand can be inserted thereinand become fixed in place as the wet cement cures and hardens. This mayalso be done, for example, when pouring an entirely new slab ofconcrete, the post stand being placed in the wet cement at the desiredlocation. However, when there exists a hardened and cured slab ofconcrete, or other masonry such as tiles, brick, etc., it is atime-consuming and sometimes expensive task to create a cut-out withinthe hardened slab or masonry. In fact, in some cases, the individual orcompany which is installing the post stand and fence needs to hire andsubcontract with one skilled in cutting out the concrete or masonry toaccommodate the post stand. The present invention overcomes this with acombination of the design of the post stand 10 and 100, described above,and the methodology for installing it.

With reference now to FIG. 7, marks 58 are created in the hardenedconcrete slab or masonry corresponding to the desired location ofinstallation of the anchors 130. In the case of post stand 100, this canbe easily done by applying a downward force (shown by the arrow) to thepointed ends 134 of the anchors 130, which will create a divot or smallcrack in the concrete slab 50. This can be done, for example, by hittingthe post stand 100 with a hammer or the like. As the anchors 30 of poststand 10 have generally flat ends, this step typically does not work,thus one would need to trace around the outside diameter of each anchor30.

Holes 60 are then drilled into the hardened concrete or masonrycorresponding to the markings 58 and desired installation location ofthe anchors 130. The holes 60 are slightly larger in diameter than theouter diameter of the anchors 130. For example, if the anchors areone-half inch in width, the holes 60 will be at least nine-sixteenthsinch in diameter. The holes are drilled to a depth at least as long asthe anchors 130. Typically, the anchors 130 are between three to fiveinches in length. A typical slab of concrete 50, such as that used for awalkway, patio, etc. is approximately four to six inches in thickness.

With reference now to FIG. 9, an epoxy, quick setting cement mixture, orthe like 62 is poured into the holes 60. Typically, the hole 60 is onlypartially filled with the bonding material 62. The post stand 100 isthen inserted into the holes 60, such as by inserting the anchors 130into the drilled holes partially filled with bonding agent 62, asillustrated in FIG. 10. Typically, the post stand 100 is pushed into theholes 60 until the base plate 112 rests upon the concrete slab 50. Anywet bonding agent (such as quick setting cement, epoxy, or the like)that is forced from the holes 60 beyond the periphery of the base plate112 is wiped away. Typically, it will only take thirty minutes to acouple of hours for the epoxy, quick setting cement, or other bondingagent to sufficiently cure.

Holes are drilled through the wooden beam 56 (shown in phantom in FIG.11) such that the bolt 124 can be inserted through the side supportapertures 120 and 122 and the wooden beam 56, such that the nut 128 cansecure the bolts 124 in place, and thus the wooden beam 56 to the poststand 100. It will be appreciated that the first and second sidesupports 114 and 116 are spaced so as to accommodate the wooden post 56.For example, if the wooden post is four inches square, the first andsecond side supports 114 and 116 will be spaced apart four inches suchthat the wooden post can be inserted therebetween.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the amount of labor andmaterials used are conserved by the teachings of the present invention.Instead of either tearing up the entire concrete slab and pouring a newslab of wet concrete, or cutting out sufficient sized sections of theconcrete to pour new wet concrete to insert post stands therein, onemerely need drill holes to accommodate the anchors 130 of the post stand100 into the existing hardened and cured concrete slab or masonry. Thepresent invention can be used to secure posts of gates, fences, patios,or any other situation where a post stand is required. However, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the post stands of the presentinvention may not meet building code requirements that specify a footingof at least twelve inches square to two feet below concrete level. Thus,the present invention is particularly suited for concrete or masonrypathways, patios, bases of fences and walls, and the like. Given therugged materials and construction of the post stand 10 and 100 of thepresent invention, gates of relatively large size can be supportedwithout fear that the post stand will become dislodged or bend, as isthe case with many existing post stands when used in use with large andheavy gates.

Although several embodiments have been described in some detail forpurposes of illustration, various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

1. A post stand, comprising: a base plate; a first side supportextending upwardly from an upper surface of the base plate; and havingan aperture therethrough; a second side support extending upwardly fromthe upper surface of the base plate, the second side support beingspaced apart and generally aligned with the first side support, andhaving an aperture generally aligned with the aperture of the first sidesupport for receiving a bolt therethrough so as to support a wooden postbetween the first and second side supports; and a plurality of at leastthree anchors in spaced relation extending downwardly from a lowersurface of the base plate.
 2. The post stand of claim 1, wherein thebase plate and first and second side supports are comprised of betweenone-eighth and one-quarter inch thick metal plate.
 3. The post stand ofclaim 1, wherein the first and second side supports are spaced inwardlyfrom a peripheral edge of the base plate.
 4. The post stand of claim 1,wherein the first and second side supports are between six and twelveinches in height.
 5. The post stand of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofanchors comprise four anchors, each anchor being disposed adjacent to acorner of the base plate.
 6. The post stand of claim 1, wherein each ofthe plurality of anchors are generally cylindrical in configuration. 7.The post stand of claim 6, wherein an outer surface of each of theanchors includes ridges extending outwardly therefrom.
 8. The post standof claim 7, wherein the anchors comprise rebar.
 9. The post stand ofclaim 7, wherein the anchors have external threads.
 10. The post standof claim 9, wherein a free end of the anchors tapers to a point.
 11. Thepost stand of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of anchors arebetween three and five inches in length.
 12. A method for installing apost stand, comprising the steps of: providing a post stand comprising abase plate, spaced apart first and second side supports extendingupwardly from an upper surface of the base plate, and having alignedapertures therethrough, and a plurality of anchors in spaced relationextending downwardly from a lower surface of the base plate; drillingholes in a hardened concrete slab or masonry corresponding to a desiredinstallation location of the plurality of anchors; partially filling theholes with an epoxy or quick setting cement mixture; and inserting theanchors into the holes.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theproviding step includes the step of providing a post stand having aplurality of anchors each having a free end tapering to a point.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, including the step of applying a downward force tothe tapered and pointed ends of the anchors to create marks on thehardened concrete slab or masonry corresponding to the desiredinstallation location of the plurality of anchors.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the applying downward force step includes the step ofhitting the post stand with a hammer.
 16. The method of claim 12,wherein the providing step includes the step of providing a post standhaving a plurality of anchors each having projections extending from anouter surface thereof.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein theprojections comprise external threads.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the anchors are generally cylindrical in configuration, andwherein the hole drilling step comprises drilling holes of a greaterdiameter than an outer diameter of the anchors.
 19. The method of claim12, including the steps of drilling an aperture through a wooden postand inserting a bolt through the aligned apertures of the first andsecond side supports and the wooden post.